Wyverns Eternal (Ur-Legion)
Legion History Once a proud legion of the Imperium of Mankind, the Wyverns Eternal fought side by side with legions such as the Imperius Ravagers and the Raptors of Vulkan, having very close-knit ties to the former. During the Nova Terra Interregnum, the Wyverns Eternal were one of the first legions to turn their back on the Imperium. Hoping to leave peacefully, they did not officially declare their loyalty to the Nova Terra Regency until mid-M34. However, that plan was foiled by the intervention of the Avenging Hawks Legion and the subsequent destruction of their former homeworld. In the aftermath of that conflict, the system was abandoned by the Imperium, and the Nova Terra Regency swooped in to take it for their expanding empire. The Wyverns Eternal swore to protect the system from all outside forces, and to never forgive the Imperium for their actions. Their Legion Master, Arcturus Helios, was appalled by the horrors he witnessed, and took on a solemn vow. From that day forward, if he was to lead his legion, he would no longer use the name of Arcturus Helios, instead, his title would become his name, The Lord-Wyvern, Regent Lord of the Wyverns Eternal, until the "fallen Imperium" repented for their actions. Legion Homeworld The legion's home sector was seized by the Nova Terra Regency following the sector's complete abandonment by Imperial forces. After the Shattering of Apollo, the planet was shattered into three, whilst it's binary twin planet of Artemis was renamed a shard of Apollo. * Apollo Sterilis: '''Apollo Sterilis is the 2nd largest Shard of Apollo, covered in vast deserts and sandstorms constantly. Many ancient relics are found there by Nova Terra explorators who dare venture to the planet's surface. During the day, temperatures on the planet exceed 50o Celsius, making any visits even more unpleasant than thy already were. * '''Apollo Glacia: '''Apollo Glacia was knocked out into a farther orbit from it's star than the others, freezing it into an eternal ice age. It has been deemed impossible for natural wildlife to grow on the planet, though the Astartes of the Wyverns Eternal have set up 2 outposts on the planet's poles. * '''Apollo Veterum: '''Apollo Veterum is the largest Shard of Apollo, as it is the remains of Artemis. Still liveable and home to the thriving Knight Orders of Artemis, the planet went through one major flood as the global water levels rose in the aftermath of the Shattering of Apollo. The civilians have recovered and are rebuilding settlements lost to the flood. The Wyverns Eternal largely recruit from this world, as most civilians are trained in martial combat. * '''Apollo Silva: '''Apollo Silva managed to keep it's orbit relatively the same, and as a result the planet is densely packed with forests and wildlife. On this planet, the ruins of the Occulus, the ancient fortress monastery of the legion can be found. Hidden deep within the jungle, lays The Nest, the new fortress monastery. In between these two iconic landmarks is a dangerous jungle, home to hundreds of Solomite infused predators, hunting each other and Astartes alike. Notable Campaigns * '''The Seperation Conflict: '''In 322. M34, the Wyverns Eternal Space Marine Legion renounced its ties to the Imperium of Man, and began preperation to leave for Nova Terra. In retalliation, the Avenging Hawks Legion was sent to shatter the Wyvern's homeworld of Apollo. The Legion's battlefleets were locked in a desperate struggle above the planet, until 5 Avenging Hawks transports managed to evade fire and touch down on Apollo. * '''The Shattering of Apollo: The battle had shifted it's weight onto the ground, and the Avenging Hawks pushed their way into the Occulus, the old Fortress Monastery of the Wyverns Eternal, and battled their way to the Solomite Reactor. By overcharging the reactor, they had set in motion a chain reaction that would see the planet shattered into three. The fleets in Orbit quickly retreated from the sector, but all ground forces were abandoned by both sides. Legion Gene-Seed The gene-seed of the Wyverns Eternal is derived from Corvus Corax, Primarch of the Raven Guard. The Ur-Legion's link to the Raven Guard extends even to their Legion Master fashioning his personal weapon after the Whip of Corax, having a high amount of Jump-Pack infantry, but also their tactics, putting pressure on weaker points of an enemy's defense as opposed to a full frontal assault. Being the first Legion succeeding the Raven Guard, they retained a few ideals and links to their parent Legion. For one, the black armor of the Wyverns Eternal links them to the shadow tactics of the Raven Guard, whilst their use of the Corvus Pattern Power Armor is also a sign of respect to their progenitors. Legion Organization The Legion is divided into 5 Guilds of 50,000 astartes within the Legion. Each Guild is commanded by a Guildmaster, each with their own title that they assume as their name when they take the position. All 5 guilds rarely fight together as a unified force, leaving a few to speculate as to how big the Legion truly is. In truth, the legion sits at 250,005 . Speciality Ranks * Brute Hunters - '''Terminators armed with a special type of Lightning Claws, however these claws have no force power, but are instead inbued with a specially made neurotoxin created in the toxin glands of the "Artemian Death Scorpion". These claws are in turn attached to a 2 metre length of chain, that can be shot out of the terminator's powerfist and impale a target, or pull them in for the Terminator to destroy in close combat. * '''Nestlings - '''Nestlings are one step above Neophytes. Before being put in power armor and being let loose against the world as an astartes, Wyverns Eternal recruits are equipped with an armor similar to a scout chassis, but slightly bulkier, and less equipped. Typically these recruits are put in a squad with other marines, usually 2 Nestlings for every 3 Astartes. In total, Nestlings make up roughly 50,000 of Wyverns Eternal troops. * '''Caustic Marines - '''These marines are equipped with state-of-the-art Legion Cerberus-Pattern Corrosion Cannons, a weapon that sprays a caustic acid upon their foes with high pressure. Like greek fire of ancient terra, this weapon can tear through an astartes in seconds, and cause significant damage to a vehicle's hull. These heavy support troops lumber forward on the battlefield, accompanied usually by a squad of tactical marines, but on occasion these dangerous soldiers have been seen in the company of a contingent of Brute Hunters. Legion Recruitment The Legion recruits mainly mainly from Apollo Veterum, but occasionally from Apollo Sterilis as well. The majority of their recruits are already a part of the Knight orders of Apollo Veterum, therfore must be trained in martial combat beforehand, which increases the rate at which a Neophyte can be trained. Those taken from Apollo Sterilis are usually inducted into the Brute Hunter Terminators directly, as they are already trained in hunting the beasts of Apollo Sterilis to survive. Legion Fleet The Wyverns Eternal have a total of 4 Battleships, and a large number of (Nearly 50) Strike Cruisers in orbit around their home system of Odyssey. Even though they have a large amount of Strike Cruisers and a few Battleships, they have no other ships of any kind, making their fleet neither particularly interesting or dangerous. *The Emperor's Sting (Emperor-Class Battleship)' *The Rallying Cry'' (Retribution-Class Battleship) *''The Toxic Bite'' (Apocalypse-Class Battleship) *''The Solar Wind'' (Oberon-Class Battleship) Allies Pre-Interregnum: Before the Nova Terra Interregnum, the Wyverns Eternal had close ties to the Imperius Ravagers Legion, and the Adeptus Mechanicus. The former had fought beside the Wyverns Eternal in several conflicts across the galaxy, up until the Interregnum. Now, they see each other as traitors to the Emperor, and refuse to interact with each other save on the battlefield. Post-Interregnum: When it comes to the Mechanicus, the Wyverns Eternal have maintained their ties to a portion of the Mechanicus who left the Imperium as well, to join the Nova Terra Regency. They now work closely with the Iron Hands legion to maintain their armor and experimental weaponry. Enemies * The Imperium: The Imperium of Mankind has become a falsity, ever deviating from the Emperor's wishes, and as such they are viewed as traitors by the Wyverns Eternal. * The Dark Eldar: Crude and barbaric, these vile savages are seen through lenses of hate and disgust, being fired upon without any exchange of words between the Legion and the Kabal. * The World Eaters Traitor Legion: Vile traitors and murderers, the World Eaters should have been put down long ago if it were up to the Lord-Wyvern. Legion Appearance Legion Colours The colours of the Wyverns Eternal reflect both their origins, and their own identy. The black colour was taken as a reference to their Raven Guard progenitors, where the purple was chosen to reflect both a Wyvern's toxin, and a Wyvern's magical aura. Each Astartes' armor is decorated with a variety of flames and runes in the same purple colour. Legion Badge The Legion is most easily recognized by it's very unique chapter badge. The badge shows an Ouroboros topped with a winged crown, and Artemian runes carved into the Ouroboros. The Ouroboros represents the Legion's belief in reincarnation and duty, whilst the runes inside of it say "Duty will reward you all". The winged crown represents the Emperor, the only thing that they swear loyalty to besides their Legion Master. Combat Doctrine The Wyverns Eternal legion have always specialized in low-intel operations and counter-attacks. Often times, a captain of the Wyverns Eternal will be summoned directly to Nova Terra to receive orders of the utmost secrecy. These orders are more often than not highly dangerous infiltration, scouting, or assassination missions. The legion is famed for returning with minimal casualties from operations that they had no intel on beforehand. During the battle of Cordué, an Eldar Craftworld drifting near to Nova Terran space, the Wyverns Eternal managed to infiltrate the craftworld and sabotage its resident statue of Khaine, stripping the craftworld of a valuable war asset, and leaving it open to assault from two other legions, the Knights of the Hunt, and the Storm Legion.